No Arabic abstract
We present the first data release of high-resolution ($leq0.2$ arcsec) 1.5-GHz radio images of 103 nearby galaxies from the Palomar sample, observed with the eMERLIN array, as part of the LeMMINGs survey. This sample includes galaxies which are active (LINER and Seyfert) and quiescent (HII galaxies and Absorption line galaxies, ALG), which are reclassified based upon revised emission-line diagrams. We detect radio emission $gtrsim$ 0.2 mJy for 47/103 galaxies (22/34 for LINERS, 4/4 for Seyferts, 16/51 for HII galaxies and 5/14 for ALGs) with radio sizes typically of $lesssim$100 pc. We identify the radio core position within the radio structures for 41 sources. Half of the sample shows jetted morphologies. The remaining half shows single radio cores or complex morphologies. LINERs show radio structures more core-brightened than Seyferts. Radio luminosities of the sample range from 10$^{32}$ to 10$^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$: LINERs and HII galaxies show the highest and the lowest radio powers respectively, while ALGs and Seyferts have intermediate luminosities. We find that radio core luminosities correlate with black hole (BH) mass down to $sim$10$^{7}$ M$_{odot}$, but a break emerges at lower masses. Using [O III] line luminosity as a proxy for the accretion luminosity, active nuclei and jetted HII galaxies follow an optical fundamental plane of BH activity, suggesting a common disc-jet relationship. In conclusion, LINER nuclei are the scaled-down version of FR I radio galaxies; Seyferts show less collimated jets; HII galaxies may host weak active BHs and/or nuclear star-forming cores; and recurrent BH activity may account for ALG properties.
We present the second data release of high-resolution ($leq0.2$ arcsec) 1.5-GHz radio images of 177 nearby galaxies from the Palomar sample, observed with the e-MERLIN array, as part of the LeMMINGs (Legacy e-MERLIN Multi-band Imaging of Nearby Galaxy Sample) survey. Together with the 103 targets of the first LeMMINGs data release, this represents a complete sample of 280 local active (LINER and Seyfert) and inactive galaxies HII galaxies and Absorption Line Galaxies, ALG). This large program is the deepest radio survey of the local Universe, $gtrsim$10$^{17.6}$ W Hz$^{-1}$, regardless of the host and nuclear type: we detect radio emission $gtrsim$0.25 mJy beam$^{-1}$ for 125/280 galaxies (44.6 per cent) with sizes of typically $lesssim$100 pc. Of those 125, 106 targets show a core which coincides within 1.2 arcsec with the optical nucleus. Although we observed mostly cores, around one third of the detected galaxies features jetted morphologies. The detected radio core luminosities of the sample range between $sim$10$^{34}$ and 10$^{40}$ erg s$^{-1}$. LINERs and Seyferts are the most luminous sources, whereas HII galaxies are the least. LINERs show FRI-like core-brightened radio structures, while Seyferts reveal the highest fraction of symmetric morphologies. The majority of HII galaxies have single radio core or complex extended structures, which probably conceal a nuclear starburst and/or a weak active nucleus (seven of them show clear jets). ALGs, which are typically found in evolved ellipticals, although the least numerous, exhibit on average the most luminous radio structures, similar to LINERs.
Radio outflows of extents ranging from a few parsecs to a few kiloparsecs are present in Seyfert and LINER galaxies that make up the `radio-quiet AGN class. AGN jets and/or starburst superwinds have been suggested to produce these outflows. We present a brief review of radio outflows in Seyfert and LINER galaxies on different spatial scales. Very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observations of several individual Seyferts and LINERs suggest a link between AGN jets on parsec-scales and their kiloparsec-scale radio structures (KSRs). The whole range of misalignment angles present between the parsec-scale and the kpc-scale outflows in Seyfert galaxies and LINERs, supports the prevalence of bent outflows in them. Episodic AGN activity is suggested by the presence of multiple misaligned KSRs in several Seyfert galaxies in total and polarized intensity images; this latter result provides further support for an AGN jet origin of the KSRs present in Seyfert and LINER galaxies.
What determines the nuclear radio emission in local galaxies? We combine optical [O III] line emission, robust black hole (BH) mass estimates, and high-resolution e-MERLIN 1.5-GHz data, from the LeMMINGs survey, of a statistically-complete sample of 280 nearby, optically active (LINER and Seyfert) and inactive HII and Absorption line galaxies [ALG]) galaxies. Using [O III] luminosity ($L_{rm [O~III]}$) as a proxy for the accretion power, local galaxies follow distinct sequences in the optical-radio planes of BH activity, which suggest different origins of the nuclear radio emission for the optical classes. The 1.5-GHz radio luminosity of their parsec-scale cores ($L_{rm core}$) is found to scale with BH mass ($M_{rm BH}$) and [O~III] luminosity. Below $M_{rm BH} sim$10$^{6.5}$ M$_{odot}$, stellar processes from non-jetted HII galaxies dominate with $L_{rm core} propto M_{rm BH}^{0.61pm0.33}$ and $L_{rm core} propto L_{rm [O~III]}^{0.79pm0.30}$. Above $M_{rm BH} sim$10$^{6.5}$ M$_{odot}$, accretion-driven processes dominate with $L_{rm core} propto M_{rm BH}^{1.5-1.65}$ and $L_{rm core} propto L_{rm [O~III]}^{0.99-1.31}$ for active galaxies: radio-quiet/loud LINERs, Seyferts and jetted HII galaxies always display (although low) signatures of radio-emitting BH activity, with $L_{rm 1.5, GHz}gtrsim$10$^{19.8}$ W Hz$^{-1}$ and $M_{rm BH}gtrsim10^{7}$ M$_{odot}$, on a broad range of Eddington-scaled accretion rates ($dot{m}$). Radio-quiet and radio-loud LINERs are powered by low-$dot{m}$ discs launching sub-relativistic and relativistic jets, respectively. Low-power slow jets and disc/corona winds from moderately high to high-$dot{m}$ discs account for the compact and edge-brightened jets of Seyferts, respectively. Jetted HII galaxies may host weakly active BHs. Fuel-starved BHs and recurrent activity account for ALG properties. [abridged]
Several narrow-line Seyfert 1 galaxies (NLS1s) have now been detected in gamma rays, providing firm evidence that at least some of this class of active galactic nuclei (AGN) produce relativistic jets. The presence of jets in NLS1s is surprising, as these sources are typified by comparatively small black hole masses and near- or super-Eddington accretion rates. This challenges the current understanding of the conditions necessary for jet production. Comparing the properties of the jets in NLS1s with those in more familiar jetted systems is thus essential to improve jet production models. We present early results from our campaign to monitor the kinematics and polarization of the parsec-scale jets in a sample of 15 NLS1s through multifrequency observations with the Very Long Baseline Array. These observations are complemented by fast-cadence 15 GHz monitoring with the Owens Valley Radio Observatory 40m telescope and optical spectroscopic monitoring with with the 2m class telescope at the Guillermo Haro Astrophysics Observatory in Cananea, Mexico.
We report the detection of a non-zero time delay between radio emission measured by the VLBA at 15.4 GHz and gamma-ray radiation (gamma-ray leads radio) registered by the Large Area Telescope (LAT) on board the Fermi Gamma-Ray Space Telescope for a sample of 183 radio and gamma-ray bright active galactic nuclei (AGNs). For the correlation analysis we used 100 MeV - 100 GeV gamma-ray photon fluxes, taken from monthly binned measurements from the first Fermi LAT catalog, and 15.4 GHz radio flux densities from the MOJAVE VLBA program. The correlation is most pronounced if the core flux density is used, strongly indicating that the gamma-ray emission is generated within the compact region of the 15 GHz VLBA core. Determining the Pearsons r and Kendalls tau correlation coefficients for different time lags, we find that for the majority of sources the radio/gamma-ray delay ranges from 1 to 8 months in the observers frame and peaks at about 1.2 months in the sources frame. We interpret the primary source of the time delay to be synchrotron opacity in the nuclear region.